For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ – Deuteronomy 15:11
Certainly Jesus could have been referring to this command of Moses.
Thus far we have examined two of the three reports of Jesus telling us that the poor are always with us. (Our Lord means no disrespect.) Before moving on to His point in the anointing with oil and returning to the final quote, let’s take a brief Biblical look at the needy.
Psalms
9:18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
10:2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
14:6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is his refuge.
113:7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap
Proverbs
14:21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
19:1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
28:6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
Judge rightly between the words of Jesus and the integrity of the one who remarked that the extravagant anointing of Jesus kept help from the poor.
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” tweet=”Luke 6:20
Luke 6:30-36
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Who has the LORD chosen?
Has the Lord not chosen the poor, the humble and the least of those among men a His own servants?
“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” tweet=”But you have dishonored the poor man. James 2:5-6a
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:12-14
To be continued…
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